can any one still not sleep at night?
 

i keep thinking back to that buck i missed, it was only a 6pointer, but for the area i was hunting, a doe is though to get, also ive only been hunting a cupple years and a buck to me is the greatest thing in the world, weather its a spike or 12 pointer,
I still replay that 10 yard bow shot, as i stopped him 10 yards perfectly broadside right under my stand, and can still remeber the sound of the arrow cracking in half off a tree limb, just a few feetfrom the deer. And watch the only bucki saw the season, running off never to be seen again ;(

I still kick my self for hitting that branch, and keep trying to tell my self atleast it was just small one [:o]

anyone else still in denial?

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

At least the arrow did not deflect into the deer, wounding it, andexpiring days or weeks later. Be thankful for that, and pay more attention of your shooting lanes.It will only make you better in the end...trial by faliure. Good Luck.

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

I know your feeling in the past8 years i have made a similar mistake 3 times.

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

i was pondering my hunting season the other night and couldnt sleep. i had a shot at a nice 2.5yo 14-16 wide 8-10pt this year. he ducked and took it high. i know he didnt die from it. but i should had him killed. i used my top pin set at 15yds..he was 20yd. i aimed a hair above the top of the heart. i knew my arrow would fall right into his heart. WRONG. he ducked.[:@] i still blame myself though i feel i did everything perfect.

and the rifle opener..same spot i got caught off gaurd by an absolute WHOPPER and another buck. the whopper was a BEASTLY 11pt..big nasty lookin rack. i know all this because he was killed the next weekend by some kid that purely got lucky. we called that buck the "turkey watcher" i watched the turkeys come into the field and KNEW he couldnt be far off..he ALWAYS laid on the edge of the field and watched them for some reason..sitting there in my tree with my rifle waitin on him..the dogs started barking across the driveway a couple hundred yards away..i knew he was coming...but he didnt come down the trail the deer always use. he came out of nowwhere. i looked to my hard right and there he stood..lookin like somethin on a magazine cover..25-30yds away in the only opening on my right. i could see the other buck behind him. gun in my hand..couldnt move..he started walking..i stood up to get a shot...i coulda dropped him..i know i could have. i just didnt feel comfortable shooting him walking..while i was standing, shaking like a leaf through the woods 30-35yds away. i kick myself..i know i coulda dropped him..just didnt like the shot...he was a true beast of a buck.

i dont know if ill ever sleep right again...no reason for me to be eating tag soup...but thats why its called hunting. i had a very exciting season and feel it was very successful..seen 3 2.5+yo old bucks and atleast that many 1.5yos. and many does..live and learn...

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

nice rack

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

Yeah the "clean misses" are a lot easier to forget than the "near misses. Those hang with you forever!

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

Same thing happened to me! That knot in your stomach takes a while to leave!!!

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

I got one of them thoughts still jabbing me in the ribs after 10 years , about a 160 " er.

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

I made every rookie mistake a 25 year hunter could make .... in bow, shotgun, and muzzleloading season ... still sleep great though!!;)

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

tony...thats another thing that bothers me. i killed 10 deer with a rifle..seen 100s more i could have killed. the first year in the bow stand was like learning to walk again. i feel i learned alot..and had a successful first season...but man i kick myself everytime i think about some of the stuff i did and didnt do..i wont sleep right till i kill me a buck with my bow. going to do alot more diffrent next year thats for sure..cant make progress if you dont learn from your mistakes. i love bowhunting and am hooked..but memories will haunt me...i had a purdy spot on my wall for that buck:( he wasnt a monster...but respectable..exspecially for a first bow kill...fall will be upon us soon enough..right after trout season, turkey season, groundhog hunting, and catfishing:D

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

HA! Let me tell you...a couple of years ago, I was hunting with a buddy and it was during the chase phase. There were deer all over. The one that finally presented a shot was about 25 yards away. No biggie right? Uh huh...I settled the pin, just to the left of this sapling...ZZIiiiiiiiiiiinnnnggg CRACK! Yep, I harvested a sapling that day. Off went this HUGE bodied, 8 point buck. [:'(]

And there was this time I shot under a HUGE, I mean REALLY HUGE buck!

I've since practiced until my arm was about to fall off. I don't want misses to happen anymore!

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

maus .....same here .... I had a wallhanger 18 yards from me broadside ...I was at full draw, as I was bringing the pin up the the lungs ...my arm just locked ... target panick .. I ended up jerking the trigger and the arrow passed harmlessly under the front of his chest [:@]

...it just continued for the rest of my deer season ... by the way, thanks for bringing up that painful memory ... now I won't be able to sleep[8D]

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

i kinda got over it but it took a couple months, i had the same problem on my first deer

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

Yep still think of one about everyday. Middle of the rut and this just absolute giant comes out iv only seen him once before he is a typical 10 point with 2 kickers on his G2's and 2 droptines right next to each other about 6 inches long on his right main beam. stopped him perfect at 30 yards. (or what i thought was perfect) and let the arrow fly. it looked like a perfect shot then he ran about 50 yards and stopped like nothing happened so im confused at this point and get down and look where he was standing. Right in front of where his vitals were was a 1 1/2 inch diameter tree with my muzzy tipped arrow in it. i gotta say missing that 160 class deer was the saddest day of my life lol.

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

I know what you mean. It usually doesnt bother me until I am driving by the property or something. I cant hunt a couple of the places any more. The big ones are still seen sometimes though so that is some consilation.

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

I still have anumber of them that haunt me. One that returns to my thoughts frequently happened back in the fall of '03. After another hot spell where the hunting was tough, I'd still managed to fill all my tags but one - the one that had "wallhanger" written on it.

On the first cool day we had, I rattled in a huge buck that had just scared off a very nice 8 point that I was planning to shoot. Because of the lack of cover, I had to draw on him when he was 30 yards out. He walked STRAIGHT IN to me offering only a shot quartering sharply towards me -- and I WON'T take that shot. After making a scrape and rubbing a tree at 20 yards still facing me, he finally turned to walk to my right. I saw an opening at 20 yards and watched in horror as the arrow deflected off that #@$%* limb and sailed harmelssly under him. He hopped a few yards while I fumbled around for another arrow. I got one nocked and drew . . . just as he passed behind some heavy cover and out of my life forever.

It still hurts.

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

I feel you pain!

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

The only one that bothered me was the buck I injured on 9/12. THAT kept me awake. After talking to several people.....we came to the conclusion that the buck wasn't nearly fatally injured.

It still bothered me IMMENSELY, though. I saw the buck again.....the day after Thanksgiving. It was the highlight of my year. I saw him again the final day of the season. He walked by, slowly, at <20 yds. I had no buck tags left.......but this is what I saw........

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

yeah, ive got a pretty good idea of what u mean ive been hunting 4 years finally had my opportunity last year to take a nice 7-8 point buck well it was perfect i grunted him in he walk past a rather large maple tree i drew back as he walked past it 10 yrds away right into the open put the pin on him and FWACK, wondering what happened and so excited it took me a while to realize the bowstring got caught in my jacket sleeve and my arrow dropped a few yards short. with no speed at all seeing as my arrow was barely stickin in the ground now i have a jacket guard thing to hold my slack of my sleave against my arm.

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

I file misses and other mishaps under "Sheit happens" and sleep like a baby, there's no sense in tearing yourself up over "what if?", it serves no purpose.

RE: can any one still not sleep at night?
 

Saw the only deer I saw all year, 3 does, second Saturday in bow season. Should have been able to shoot one of the first two, but I did not de scent my boggin the night before (the one peice of clothing that I missed). They winded me about 25-30 yards away, before I even saw them (they were slipping in from behind me. My brand new bow still has not drawn blood. But I still sleep great. I was in the woods nearly every Saturday. What could I possibly have to complain about? It don't get much better. Killing a deer is just a bonus (albeit a great one).